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Five ways to burn calories without exercising, according to science

1. Clean

Kill two birds with one stone by sprucing your house and burning calories

A recent study, by the Good Housekeeping Institute, found people tend to burn a whopping 600 calories by conducting two hours of cleaning.

Intense household chores, such as cleaning windows and scrubbing the bathroom, could keep you in tip top shape – and your house will look great too.

The study found window cleaning was the most taxing task, with participants burning an average of 115 calories in 20 minutes.

Scrubbing the bathroom from top to bottom burnt an average of 100 calories, while dusting for 40 minutes burned nearly 200 calories.

This means cleaning your house could burn double the amount if calories as a 5km run.

2. Watch a scary film

Losing weight doesn't need to be scary – but it can involve some horror

Apparently, you don’t need to move from your sofa in order to lose weight.

Researchers at the University of Westminster found that viewers of horror films unwittingly work up a sweat.

Sitting in front of a scary movie can see you burn a whopping 184 calories.

If you did this a few times a week, you’d be torching around 500kcal without even realising.

Dr Richard Mackenzie, the physiologist who carried out the test, said: “As the pulse quickens and blood pumps around the body faster, the body experiences a surge in adrenaline.

“It is this release of fast-acting adrenaline, produced during short bursts of intense stress (or in this case, brought on by fear), which is known to lower the appetite, increase the basal metabolic rate and ultimately burn a higher level of calories."

3. Hop in a sauna

Chilling out in a sauna could aid your weight loss journey

If you’d rather be in the spa than at the gym, we have some good news for you.

Spending half an hour in the sauna could be enough to burn calories.

A 13st person can expect to burn around 50kcal by sitting in the humid room.

This is because heat increases your core temperature, making the body work harder to cool itself down.

Your heart rate quickens and you start sweating in the same way you would during exercise.

4. Eat more ginger

Fresh, dried and powdered ginger

A study published in UK National Library of Medicine found that the root promotes feelings of fullness.

Researchers tracked the impact of the spice on a group of overweight men.

Participants reported feeling more satiated, leading to them eating less and losing more weight.

This theory is backed by researchers at China Agricultural University.

Scientists collected data from 60 different studies to see how ginger affects the body.